The Santa Rosa Junior College Football team lost 40-18 to No.18 College of the Sequoias in a game marked by frustration and injuries at Bailey Field on Friday night.
The Bear Cubs (2-3) took on the Giants (4-2) without sophomore starting running back Damien Escarcega or freshman linebacker and team captain Cayden Homan due to injuries.
SRJC couldn’t get their rushing attack going against a stout COS defense, rushing for only 17 yards on 33 attempts. As a unit, the offense was held to less than 250 total yards from scrimmage.
The Giants complemented their stifling defense with a high powered offense that gained over 400 yards. Sophomore quarterback Reilly Garcia completed 20 of 28 passing attempts for 275 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
“[COS] did a really good job of getting the ball off quick, which made it really hard to get pressure on them,” SRJC head coach Lenny Wagner said.
The game started to slip out of reach for the Bear Cubs on the Giants first drive of the second quarter.
On the first play of the drive, sophomore quarterback Reilly Garcia connected with freshman wide receiver Dontae Gentles for a 57-yard gain. This set up the Giants with first and goal on the SRJC 4-yard line. On the next play COS punched the ball in for a touchdown going up 13-0.
The Bear Cubs were able to respond with a touchdown on a 15-yard run by sophomore quarterback Chase Vehmeyer—capping a five-play, 75-yard drive that took just under three minutes.
COS scored on their next two drives, putting up 15 points to go up 28-7 to end the half. After halftime, the Giants continued to dominate and ended the third quarter leading 40-9.
SRJC sophomore wide receiver Quan Dukes was a bright spot on offense for the Bear Cubs, hauling in four catches for 102 yards including receptions of 40 and 43 yards. Dukes also recorded a 34-yard kick return that he nearly broke for a touchdown.
“Every one of those plays is what we call an inspirational play,” Wagner said. “Where a guy makes an extra effort and good things happen as a result of it. Every one of those plays lifts us up and gives us confidence.”
Vehmeyer completed 12 of 24 passing attempts for 171 yards with an interception and one rushing touchdown. He exited the game halfway through the third quarter with a knee injury and will be out indefinitely, according to Wagner.
Freshman safety Dante Antonini led the way on defense with seven total tackles and one sack.
SRJC opens their conference schedule at Friday night’s homecoming game against a tough opponent in No. 2 Butte College (5-0).
“We hope the students show up and give us a great home game environment that we can draw some energy from,” Wagner said.
